Monday, December 31, 2012

"President Obama and Senate Republicans reached a sweeping deal late
Monday that would let income taxes rise significantly for the first time
in more than two decades, fulfilling Obama’s promise to raise taxes on
the rich and averting the worst effects of the “fiscal cliff.” Vice President Biden arrived at the Capitol just after 9 p.m.
to explain the details of the pact he negotiated with Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). A Senate vote on the package could be
held by 10:30 p.m., beating a midnight deadline, Democratic aides said.
The Republican-controlled House will begin considering the bill on
Tuesday, with a final vote expected in the next day or two.

The agreement emerged after White House officials gave in on the last
contested issue, yielding to GOP wishes on how to handle estate taxes,
aides said.

The revelations about the pending deal came after
President Obama had said a deal was “within sight,” and House Republican
leaders announced they would hold no votes Monday night, making it
appear that that the nation would go over the “fiscal cliff” for at
least a day.

The Senate was moving, however, toward a late-night
on the agreement negotiated by McConnell and Vice President Biden. With
the House likely to reconvene at noon on Tuesday, a deal appeared imment
that would cancel historic tax hikes for most Americans.

“I think
it’s highly likely that some time this evening there’ll be a vote on
the Senate side,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Monday evening as he
emerged from a meeting with fellow Republicans and signaled that talks
are continuing. “This is one of those things that could well go into the
early morning by the time it goes to a vote. ... I think they’re
attempting to get the legislative language in order and vote on it
tonight, you know, 1, 2, 3, 4 in the morning, whatever.’’

Regardless of whether an agreement is reached to avoid the fiscal cliff, many Americans are all but certain to face a broad hike in taxes
starting Tuesday because of the expiration of the payroll tax cut,
which was enacted in 2011 as a temporary measure to boost economic
growth. The increased payroll taxes,
combined with hikes affecting the very wealthy, would effectively mark
the end of a prolonged period of declining taxation that has become a
defining characteristic of the American economy

The announcement
that the GOP-controlled House would not vote on New Year’s Eve came
after Obama urged lawmakers to “stop taxes going up for middle-class
families, starting tomorrow,” and he called on them to remain focused on
the needs of the American people rather than politics"Washington Post

Harper government bills that enraged First Nations and sparked Idle No More

"The federal government continued to strengthen our relationship with First Nations over the last year."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper2012 Year End Statement

One of the first questions that people ask about the Idle No More movement
is what the movement is all about. While the historical injustices
experienced by First Nations are too many to list, activists say the
current government is pushing through a range of new bills that violate
treaty rights.
"Never in history has there been so many bills
regarding and impacting First Nations been pushed through the House of
Commons at one time," Idle No More Bill Breakdown, a
document released by activists, reads. Below is an excerpt adapted from
the document, outlining the eight bills and amendments which have
sparked protests across the country.

• This process prevents any debate or Grand Chiefs to present views of amendments• The Indian Act changes with zero consultation of communities• Lowers threshold for the surrender of reserve lands•
It is no longer the majority of the band list that determines such a
surrender of such reserve lands, but just a handful of people (e.g. five
representatives in attendance, with three voting "yes")II. Navigable Waters Act•
The federal government vacates jurisdiction over waters, parks,
fisheries, etc. and the responsibility and duty to consult, honour
treaty rights• Allows Provinces to have more powerful expropriation powers• The current federal government has expressed wishes to “unlock” First Nations' lands for the maximized benefit of Canadians

Bill S-2: Family Homes of Reserve Matrimonial Interests of Rights Act

• Does not recognize any First Nation by-laws that already set out matrimonial property laws• For the first-time in history, legal rights can be given to non-Indians over holds on lands on-reserve•
Land, protected under treaties, exclusively for First Nations, can be
given and transferred to non-First Nation people through this bill

First Nation Education Act

• Incorporates and imposes provincial laws into First Nation education on reserves• The bill violates treaty right to education• The federal government wishes to nationalize, control and legislate the treaty right to education

•
Federal authorities with hand jurisdiction to the Province – not just
stepping away from treaty obligations, but also funding obligations

Bill S-212: An Act to Amend the Interpretation Act

• Non-Derogation of Aboriginal and Treaty rights

Bill S-212: First Nations Self-Government Recognition Bill and FNPOA

•
The 1887 Dawes Act (United States) in Canadian form (privatization of
reserve land: will take community-held reserve lands and divide up into
individual parcels)

• This land can be
sold to non-Indians and corporations, like any provincial lands, under
provincial laws and registries, with no Aboriginal or Treaty rights
associated anymore• In the US, the biggest land grabs of indigenous land were not from treaties, but from the Dawes Act•
After the Dawes Act, more amendments were set to go and over half of
the privatized lands were given to government, military, and
corporations for resource extraction• To put a pipeline (e.g.
proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline) through a community, the
community’s consent is no longer needed: just the individual people
whose property the pipeline would go beneath

Bill S-8: Safe Drinking Water for First Nations

•
Will give the federal government the power to set up rules and
regulations around water and sanitation and will be able to force Chief
and Councils to do whatever federal authorities see as necessary on
water• They can demand that Chief and Councils fix water systems,
but if there is no money to do so, it is taken from band operating
funding formulas (that pays for housing, social assistance, etc.)•
If the federal government’s contractors mismanage a project, the federal
government is not liable and they indemnify themselves from getting
sued• Transfers jurisdiction and pushes provincial laws on reserve lands

Bill C-428: Indian Act Amendment and Replacement Act

• Rob Clark’s Bill to Repeal the Indian Act altogether• Gets rid of old provisions with zero consultation or with the consent of First Nations people• Doesn’t acknowledge a band’s abilities to pass band by-laws•
Takes away the power of bands to pass by-laws to prohibit alcohol on
reserves – by taking power away to create by-laws and govern• As
paternalistic and colonial as the Indian Act is, it currently protects a
reserve from Provincial Laws, protects reserve Treaty Rights, prevents
taking reserve land, prevents mining and development and pipelines

Bill C-27: First Nations Financial Transparency Act• This bill will force First Nations to open up all the books, source revenue, and business revenue (for the public)• Failure to make business information public can result in being taken to court and having funds to the community cut off• Currently, if leaders speak up, they risk having budgets slashed• The average salary for a First Nation leader is $36,845, while the salary of the average Canadian is $46,345

'Heavy Handed' Harper Happy That Canada Is #1 Nation For Business - Too Bad It's Not #1 Nation For Its CITIZENS!!

Stephen Harper is a bully who despises democracy for getting in the way of his plan to further enrich the interests of the wealthy.

By ramming hundreds of pieces of legislation through in his infamous 'Omnibus Bills' he attempts to hide details and to prevent debate in the nation.The sooner Stephen Harper is no longer Prime Minister of Canada, the better that average working Canadians will be.Happy New Year to everyone who spoke out or acted out against the Harper Gang this year.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

The 'Craziest Man On Earth' - Best Headline Ever ...

So while it’s easy for us Canadians to watch in horror as the NRA
spouts nonsense, perhaps we should take note of the fact that the
nonsense was carefully salted with phrases like “national media machine”
and “the press and political class here in Washington.” That’s not
accidental. The NRA is not even trying to fight reason with reason.

The
sales job goes like this: Never mind what the elites say. Never mind
the studies, the differences among countries that suggest policy might
matter. There’s no way to prevent or reduce violence so the only answer
is to arm the “good guys.” There are monsters out there. Buy a gun. And
stick it to those people in Washington who don’t know anything about
real life.As Taylor said, it’s absurd. I hope, I really hope,
that it’s one gamble too far for the NRA. Maybe there is a limit to what
somebody can sell in populist packaging. I hope reason will prevail.But I fear that the NRA knows exactly what it’s doing.

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Globe & Mail Doesn't Want Me To Link To Their Online Stories And Send Readers Their Way

Over the last few years, I have linked 523 posts on this blog to a story or item in the online version of the Globe & Mail. As a result, a number of you have been redirected to their site ... read their stories and seen their advertising.Well .. the Globe & Mail no longer wants to maintain that relationship.I have now used up my '20 complimentary visits' to their site and they want cash on the barrel head from me to send readers their way. I have written a number of emails over the last week to the Globe & Mail administration but they simply don't get it ..... fine.Kiss my butt Globe & Mail.I simply cannot see how you think this is a winning marketing strategy to grow your readership.

Been nice to have helped you gain readers up to now ... but ... this is goodbye.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Connecticut’s 30-Bullet Magazine Ban Failed After NRA Pressure

Magazines that fed bullets into the primary firearm used to kill 26 children and adults at a Connecticut school would have been banned under state legislation that the National Rifle Association and gunmakers successfully fought.

The shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Adam Lanza, 20, used
a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle with magazines containing 30 rounds as his
main weapon, said Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Paul Vance at a
news conference yesterday.

A proposal in March 2011 would have
made it a felony to possess magazines with more than 10 bullets and
required owners to surrender them to law enforcement or remove them from the state. Opponents sent more than 30,000 e-mails and letters to state
lawmakers as part of a campaign organized by the NRA and other gun
advocates, said Robert Crook, head of the Hartford- based Coalition of
Connecticut Sportsmen, which opposed the legislation.

“The
legislators got swamped by NRA emails,” said Betty Gallo, who lobbied on
behalf of the legislation for Southport- based Connecticut Against Gun
Violence. “They were scared of the NRA and the political backlash.”

Proponents abandoned the legislation, which drew opposition from gunmakers including Sturm, Ruger & Co. (RGR)
In addition to the e-mails and letters, more than 300 pro-gun
activists, including many NRA members, attended a committee hearing to
oppose it, said Gallo, a Hartford-based lobbyist for more than 35 years.

The Fairfax, Virginia-based NRA, which describes itself as the
nation’s foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, works to defeat
gun limits nationally and in states, and has successfully championed
permissive firearms laws.

Since a 1994 federal assault-weapon ban
expired in 2004, Congress hasn’t enacted major firearms regulations
other than a law aimed at improving state reporting for federal
background checks. The gun lobby’s power was illustrated during the 2012
presidential campaign when, after mass shootings, neither President Barack Obama nor his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, called for restrictions on gun ownership.

In
Newtown, Lanza also had two handguns, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, and
fired hundreds of bullets, said Vance. Authorities also took a shotgun
from the car he drove, Vance said. The guns belonged to Nancy Lanza,
Adam’s mother, according to a law- enforcement official who asked for
anonymity because of a continuing investigation.

Weir Calls for CPP Expansion and OAS Replacement

“The Government of Saskatchewan should join other provinces in pushing
for a significant expansion of CPP rather than dragging its feet,” said
Weir. “Expanding CPP is the most efficient way to extend reliable,
portable and indexed defined-benefit pension coverage for all
Saskatchewan workers.”

Weir is also proposing a provincial benefit equivalent to Old Age
Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Saskatchewan seniors
aged 65 and 66 if the federal government proceeds with hiking the age of
eligibility to 67. As outlined in the accompanying backgrounder, this
measure’s peak cost in 2030 would equal the ongoing annual revenue loss
from the Sask. Party’s proposed corporate tax cut.

“Plan A is to elect a federal NDP government that would reverse
Conservative cuts to Old Age Security. But if the Government of Canada
does phase out benefits for seniors aged 65 and 66, we should be
prepared to phase in an equivalent provincial benefit,” said Weir. “A
provincial NDP government could pay for these pension benefits by
reversing the Sask. Party’s no-strings-attached corporate tax break.”

To receive Old Age Security, one must have lived in Canada for at least
10 years. The equivalent provincial benefit could require 10 years of
Saskatchewan residency to prevent people from relocating here simply to
collect it.

“As well as improving universal public pensions, we must better protect
workplace pensions in the public and private sectors,” said Weir.
“Saskatchewan legislation should require immediate vesting, terminal
funding and no reductions in defined benefits for retirees as long as
the employer remains a going concern. To safeguard pensions in the event
of bankruptcy, Saskatchewan should initiate discussions with other
western provinces about establishing a regional pension benefits
guarantee fund.”

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Chinese Telecom giant could be cyber-security risk to Britain - PM may blacklist Huawei if report declares it a threat:"Britain could face a damaging multibillion-pound
trade war with China and see the roll-out of economically vital 4G
mobile internet services derailed if an intelligence report, due to land
on David Cameron's desk within the next two weeks, finds that the UK
operations of the Chinese communications giant Huawei represents a
threat to the UK's cyber-security. [...]

Concerns over the potential for state cyber-espionage involving Huawei
has recently seen the US House of Representatives' intelligence
committee recommend that the Shenzhen-based company be restricted from
operating on US soil. In Australia it has been excluded from bidding to
supply the lucrative national fibre network. A similar move is under
consideration by Canada. [...] The US House of Representatives' report was critical of how Chinese
firms, including Huawei, co-operated with its investigation. It said
Chinese companies believed any internal information was a "state secret"
that could only be made public if approved by the Chinese government.
This, the intelligence report concluded, "only heightens concerns about
Chinese government control". It admitted that the lack of evidence
limited any clear-cut conclusions. However, the report insisted that
Chinese telecommunications "provide an opportunity for the Chinese
government to tamper with the United States telecommunications supply
chain".On the technological "vulnerabilities" of particular
Huawei products or components, the report said it did not attempt a full
evaluation, but nevertheless said it "took seriously recent allegations
of back doors, or other unexpected elements" in key telecoms products.

Huawei
denies any link between its international business operations and
state-sponsored cyber-spying. Its official response to the US
report said the allegations were "a monstrous, market-distorting,
trade-distorting policy precedent that could be used in other markets
against American companies".Independent.UK

Friday, December 14, 2012

Hundreds March In Regina As Saskatchewan’s First Nations Fight Against Harper's Bill C-45

(Photo courtesyStewart Manhas)

(Photo courtesy Don Healy
, Regina Leader-Post ...)

REGINA — Saskatchewan’s First Nations are “idle no more.” On
Thursday, hundreds of aboriginals and their supporters marched down
snowy Regina streets in protest of the Harper government’s passing of
Bill C-45. Similar walks have taken place across Canada throughout the
week.

“I’m standing in solidarity with my people because I’m tired
of the government’s imposition and governmental discrimination
policies; I’m tired of it all. They try to determine what is best for
us, we know what we want, we have our own policies, we know how to
govern ourselves,” said Courtney McKay, 22.

Bill C-45, known as
the Jobs and Growth Act, is 457 pages of legislation, making it one of
the larger bills passed in the last 20 years. In total, it will amend or
affect 37 acts.

Of utmost concern for the protesters is changes
to the Navigable Waters Act, the Fisheries Act and a separate private
members bill that could repeal or significantly change the Indian Act.“Bill C-45 is going to affect our water ways, and its going to destroy our land and our resources,” said McKay.

After
walking 3 1/2 kilometres from 5th Avenue to the Legislative Building,
First Nations leaders took to the steps to a roaring crowd of 400
chanting “idle no more.” Glenn Pelletier, a Cowessess First Nation
counsellor, denounced the Harper government for not consulting First
Nations on any of the changes.

While drums were beating and the
smell of burning sage surrounded the crowd, Michelle Rae McKay pointed
out that 89 per cent of Canadian land is owned by the crown and First
Nations have a right to that land. She said the country’s aboriginals
are made up of sovereign nations and Canada has “no right” to tell them
what to do.

Edmund Bellegarde, tribal chairperson for File Hill Qu’Appelle tribal council, echoed that sentiment in a scrum with reporters. “Our inherent rights to self government has to be the end result,” he said.

The
“idle no more” movement has gained traction from coast to coast in the
past week. Bellegarde said the future of the movement is in the hands of
the government and its response. “We will continue to advocate,
we will continue to march, we will continue to rally, we will continue
to rally this movement. The voices of our people (are) idle no more,” he
said, adding the power of First Nations networks is starting to be
seen. “It’s only going to get stronger,” he said.

Many
speakers spoke about the importance of young people, of which there were
many on Thursday, in ensuring the aboriginal voice is being heard in
Parliament.Rain Poorman, 14, fears for the future of his education if the conservatives remain in power.“I’d like to see Stephen Harper stop Bill C-45,” he said.dfraser@leaderpost.com

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Premier Brad Wall Strips SaskPower Bank Account Of $120 Million AND Then Immediately Raises Power Rates To Sask Families

Here's how things work in Saskatchewan. Brad Wall is a right winger who does not like Crown corporations or public enterprise of any kind. But, because the Saskatchewan Party lost the 1999 and 2003 Elections over the matter of 'privatization' .. Wall has pledged to leave the Crown corps alone.However ideology quite often trumps electoral promises for Premier Wall. As a result, Wall has the bad habit of stripping every nickel he can find from Saskatchewan's utility crowns in order to hand out even more tax breaks to the oil and potash industry.

Wall's fiscal policy forces Saskatchewan's utility crown corporations to borrow money from the bank and then to 'contribute' the borrowed cash as a 'dividend' to the province's General Revenue Fund.Well .. he's at it again. $120 Million stripped from Saskatchewan Power Corporation will go into the mix for more corporate tax cuts and Saskatchewan families will have to pay for it with an increase to their power rates."The Sask. Party’s approval of a five-per-cent power rate hike is a direct result of its raid on the Crown last year. The Sask. Party government took $120 million from SaskPower’s bank
accounts last year. Now, businesses and families will pay $90.8 million
more for power in 2013.Trent Wotherspoon, the NDP’s critic for SaskPower, said the
out-of-pocket increase is a sneaky way of taking more from businesses
and families.
“SaskPower has been forced to turn to the wallets of everyday families,”
said Wotherspoon. “The Sask. Party’s surprise, last-minute cash grab
from the Crown is another way of getting more money from Saskatchewan
people -- not to improve SaskPower, but to cover for the Sask. Party’s
budget mistakes.”Wotherspoon said that current demands on SaskPower mean the Crown should
retain its own funds to reinvest in infrastructure and improved
services to promote smart growth.
The dividend raid was a last-minute surprise, after a budget-time Sask. Party promise not to strip SaskPower’s profits.
“Unfortunately, taking an extra five per cent from your pocket won’t get
SaskPower ahead,” said Wotherspoon. “The rate increase is necessary
only to pay off part of the Sask. Party’s raid.” NDP Caucus

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Conservative Carbon Tax Attack on Mulcair Based on one "Tweet" by Economist Jack Mintz

The following guest post was written by Kevin Grandia and was published on DeSmog Blog on Dec 10/12.

Right
now, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative party are
blaketing the airwaves with a US-style attack ad campaign against NDP
leader Thomas Mulcair.In one of the ads the very serious voice-over tells us that
"according to experts Mulcair's carbon tax will raise gas by 10 cents a
litre."

A little research finds that the "experts" in the ad, are in fact a singular expert named Jack Mintz, who in a news release correcting a tweet
he made in April of last year estimated that the NDP carbon tax plan,
put forth by the now-deceased NDP leader Jack Layton, not Mulcair, would
result in a gas price hike of 10 cents a litre.

Interestingly enough Jack Mintz sits on the board of directors of Imperial Oil Canada,
which is owned by ExxonMobil. Regular readers of this site know that
ExxonMobil has a long and sordid history when it comes to attacks on
climate change science and policy.

Now to be sure, I am not proposing some grand conspiracy here. Mintz is a well known and respected economist, has
been outspoken and insightful on his views about pricing industrial
carbon emissions, and in fact supports the idea of a carbon tax.
According to a recent Maclean's Magazine article, Mintz says he thinks that:

"...the appropriate approach to pricing carbon is a carbon tax, not a cap-and-trade system."

And further, Mintz claims in the Maclean's article that it
was an academic report co-authored by Mintz that was the basis for the
Liberal Greenshift plan that was attacked so visciously by Harper and
the Conservatives in the Stephane Dion days of the Liberal Party of
Canada.

While Mintz's 10 cents per litre hike in gas prices may be correct,
the only source I can find for his projection is in this news release
Mintz issued about an inconsistent tweet he made.You would think that a national ad campaign by the ruling federal
party would be based on more than a news release about a tweet!

(An interesting side note is that the media contact on the Mintz release is none other than Morten Paulsen, someone well known to DeSmogBlog).

So it seems an actual cost projection for the plan is up in the air
with different experts landing on different price points. But listening
to the Conservatives' latest ads you would think there is no debate
about the outcome of the NDP's plan and that it is with great certainty
that Mulcair and his party will drive Canada into the ground with a 10
cent per litre hike in the price of gas.This stinks.

I spent the last two years living in Washington, DC where the
airwaves are full of viscious political attack ads. In the U.S.
Presidential election that just concluded we saw more half-truths and
outright lies spouted by politicians and talking heads than possibly any
other time in US political history.

Canada has always held itself to a higher standard when it comes to political debate. It is a shame that Harper and his partisan allies think they have to
resort to such petty tactics to win elections. For better or for worse,
the Conservative Party rules our country and they need to treat Canadian
democracy with the respect it deserves, not stoop to new lows in
deceptive attack ads.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Brad Wall Puts Iconic SGI Building Up For Sale In Regina

SGI building up for sale: Sask. Party’s fire sale continues

The Sask. Party government has put the iconic SGI building in Regina up for sale.

“The potential sale of SGI’s headquarters is yet another Sask. Party
surprise, yet another public asset sell-off,” said John Nilson, NDP
leader. “Putting SGI on the market raises a lot of questions for
taxpayers. People are wondering if this is a sign that the Sask. Party
needs another cash injection to prop up the bank accounts. The Sask.
Party government owes it to Saskatchewan people to present a business
case for selling a valuable asset.”

The NDP said the potential sale should have been discussed publicly
before putting the SGI building on the market. SGI’s black-and-bronze
building is 33-years old. It houses the head office and Regina
Operations Centre for the Crown corporation.

“SGI occupies a structurally-sound, perfectly-located and purpose-built
tower,” said Nilson. “It’s just common sense to consider maintaining
that asset.”

The NDP has been critical of the Sask. Party’s surprising return to an
agenda of privatization and sell-offs throughout the fall, which
included the privatization of the profitable personal information Crown
corporation, ISC.

Sask NDP leadership candidate Erin Weir is calling for the provincial
government to prepare for Chinese ownership of Nexen, which has 1,300
producing natural gas wells in Saskatchewan according to its last annual
report.

Harper’s statement approving
the takeover acknowledged, “The larger purposes of state-owned
enterprises may go well beyond the commercial objectives of privately
owned companies.” In national TV commentary and a feature interview printed
in Saskatchewan newspapers the week the Nexen bid was announced, Weir
raised concerns that a company owned by the Chinese government might aim
to supply Saskatchewan resources to China at lower prices.

Lower prices would normally mean lower royalty revenues for Saskatchewan
people. However, the provincial government has the authority to
prescribe the price to which royalties apply.

“We should strengthen the Ministry of Energy and Resources’ monitoring
capacity so that it can step in if a foreign government under-prices our
commodities,” said Weir. “Unfortunately, the Sask. Party government has
said nothing about the Nexen takeover or how it will respond.”

Harper’s statement also included the following line: “Canadians have not
spent years reducing the ownership of sectors of the economy by our own
governments, only to see them bought and controlled by foreign
governments instead.” However, that is happening in Saskatchewan, as
Weir noted in a letter to the editor printed in the July 25 Globe and Mail.
“Privatization” shifted SaskOil from being owned by our provincial
government to being part of Nexen, which will now be controlled by the
Chinese government.

Friday, December 07, 2012

Homeless man found frozen to death behind Prince Albert store

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Social agencies say the freezing death of a
man highlights the issue of homelessness in the northern Saskatchewan
city of Prince Albert.

James Benjamin Roberts, who was 49, was found behind a Michaels store in a retail district on Tuesday. People who knew Roberts, also known as Ben Dahl, say he had no place to call his own.

Edna Bruce, manager of the YWCA’s Our House, says services for the homeless are barely skimming the surface of what is needed.

She said many people with no where to go hang out in the warm doorways of stores until they’re told to leave.Bruce says shelters can be so overrun that many people coming in for a bed are sleeping in the lobbies at night.

“It just makes your heart tighten up, because you see these people
every day and it could be anyone next,” said Bruce. “We have a folder of
the people who have died since we’ve been here, which is five years,
and there’s about 20 people who have died for various reasons.”

Bruce said Roberts had stayed with the YWCA a couple of times when the shelter first opened, but never requested to stay again.

“He came here and had coffee, warmed up, sat in our lobby and visited with people.”

A shelter user named Stephanie said she remembered Roberts coming in after a night outside. “I didn’t know him that well, but I did know him when he was coming
in here,” she said. “When he came in here his face was just frozen in
the mornings.”She said Roberts had been staying out every night, more than likely behind a building in an attempt to get out of the wind.

An autopsy is to verify the cause of death, but police do not suspect foul play.Metro News

REGINA — The executive director of Carmichael Outreach
worries Regina’s homeless population will fall through the cracks this
winter, after her calls for help Thursday went unanswered.

Danielle
Goulden made eight calls to six different health-care branches when a
homeless man who Goulden described as severely incontinent and in
declining health showed up at Carmichael in the morning.Each one referred her to another. The
man’s story calls into question what services are available for those
who are too sick to stay in a shelter but not sick enough to warrant
hospitalization. Stuck somewhere in the middle, Goulden worries about his fate.

“It’s
really a prime example of how someone falls through the cracks of the
system and is put out onto the street on a freezing cold day,” Goulden
said in a telephone interview.

The 54-year-old man has been
visiting the outreach centre for years, Goulden said. His health has
been quickly deteriorating over the past six months in particular.He visits nearly every day, but Goulden became alarmed Thursday. The man had trouble walking and wore pants that were soaked with what looked like “days’ worth” of urine.

Concerned,
Goulden called the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR) and was
referred to the provincial government’s HealthLine. A nurse there
suggested Goulden contact Mobile Crisis Services, a non-profit
intervention hotline, but a representative with that organization told
Goulden to call EMS.

Goulden ended up calling 9-1-1. Paramedics
responded, but said the man’s needs did not warrant hospitalization.
They suggested Goulden call the health region’s Crisis Response Team,
which referred the call to the health region’s admission and discharge
department.

Three hours and numerous calls later, Goulden was still stuck at square one. Citing
patient confidentiality, the RQHR could not comment specifically on the
case or explain why Goulden’s calls were passed on to various points of
contact within its organization. “We cannot speak publicly about
the specifics of any individual’s case without their written
permission,” Lisa Thomson, a spokeswoman with the health region, wrote
in an email. She added that those in similar, non-urgent
situations can visit a medical clinic or health centre, contact
mental-health services or go to the hospital.

According to
Goulden, the man has been admitted to hospital more than 100 times in
the past six months. His stays have been short-term most of the time. “Do
you know how much it costs the health-care system to admit someone that
many times in a six-month period? It is more costly to do nothing than
to actually get him long-term care,” Goulden explained, growing
frustrated. “It just doesn’t even make sense.”

By early afternoon
Thursday, Carmichael staff changed the man’s clothes and he was back on
the street. Goulden believes he was eventually taken to hospital, but
that could not be confirmed.“These guys just float around, the weather is getting worse, and it’s scary.”

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Only Once Has Canada's Minister of Defence Taken Part In A 'Peace Keeping Mission' Since Harper Became PM

Pity ... we were once a proud and respected nation that put our military between warring parties ... Harper has turned us into his idea of a 'warrior' nation. Yesterday was the first 'peace keeping mission' that Canada's Minister of Defence has been involved with in many, many years.

A verbal altercation between Government House Leader Peter Van Loan and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair occurred in the House of Commons Wednesday, briefly disrupting proceedings. It wasn’t immediately clear what transpired, but NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen accused Van Loan of giving the middle finger to Mulcair.Heated exchange between Van Loan, Mulcair in House | CTV News

We also now learn that although the Conservatives insist that everyone else
abide by the 'letter of the law' ... they always seem to want to bend
rules for themselves:

"Fundamentally, the problem was one of attendance.
It was about much more than that, really, but basically, that was the
issue New Democrat House leader took to the Speaker after question
period Wednesday. Cullen’s contention was that, prior to the final vote on C-45 that
would send the government’s fall budget implementation bill to third
reading, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty wasn’t in the House. Given that
it was his bill, the NDP contested that he should have been there, and
since he wasn’t, the vote technically didn’t count.“The motion put to the House was moved by a member who was not in his
place, and was therefore indisputably out of order, preventing a
legitimate vote from being held,” Cullen told the House during his point
of order after question period. “There are clear rules set out for all
members to follow in terms of how motions must be constructed and
proposed, so that we’re all working on a level playing field. Those
rules even apply to a minister of finance.”Rather than it being Flaherty who moved that the bill be concurred in
on Tuesday night, Cullen said, it was the Government House leader,
Peter Van Loan. Van Loan disagreed, saying that the Chair at the time, Joe Comartin,
“interpreted properly… the intention of the government. It was obviously
the intention of the government that the bill be moved.” That is, just
because Flaherty wasn’t there didn’t make the vote invalid. Rather,
procedure dictates that any other cabinet minister can make the move on
his behalf. Outside in the Foyer, Cullen made his case to reporters.“The rules of the House are incredibly simple, and for the most basic
motions or bills that an MP moves, you got to be there,” he said. “The
House voted incorrectly last night on the government’s implementation
act.”In the House moments earlier, Liberal interim leader Bob Rae pointed
out that, whether there was a re-vote or not, the result was bound to be
the same. “It’s difficult to believe that anyone thinks that, whether or not
the minister of finance happened to be in his chair or not, the result
of that vote would have been any different in any way, shape, or form,”
Rae said. “Either the House can vote again on the same issue and reach
the same conclusion and the same result, otherwise let’s get on with the
debate on third reading.”In the end, Speaker Andrew Scheer pointed out that it was the case
that any cabinet minister could have moved the motion prior to the final
vote on Tuesday night, and that at the time the Chair had not noticed
Flaherty’s absence – something he said was an oversight. Following that decision, there was somewhat of an altercation between the two parties.

REGINA, Sask., December 4, 2012 – The Saskatchewan Government uses “two sets of books” to report its finances despite longstanding recommendations to stop this practice, says Provincial Auditor Bonnie Lysyk in Volume 2 of her 2012 Report, released today. In the Report, Lysyk states that the Government’s General Revenue Fund (GRF) financial statements contain significant errors and are materially wrong.Most provinces in Canada present their finances to the public using only one set of financial statements - Summary Financial Statements - which are prepared in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles. In Saskatchewan, however, the Government uses two different sets of financial statements depending on the message it wants to send to the public regarding the state of its finances.When discussing debt or balancing the budget, it most frequently refers to the GRF statements – a custom that is both poor practice and misleading to the public, particularly when those statements contain significant errors.For example, the GRF statements for March 31, 2012 excluded $6.12 billion in pension liabilities and $100 million of related pension expenses. “An omission of this magnitude is similar to a company not including in its financial statements all relevant information for its shareholders, such as the financial results of a mine it owns that is losing money,” says Lysyk. “The ‘creative accounting rules’ that the Government uses for the GRF allows it to communicate to the people of Saskatchewan that the GRF budget is balanced and there is a surplus when in actual fact, there is not.” For the year ended March 31, 2012, the Government reported a surplus in the GRF of $352.3 million. What it should have reported was a deficit in the GRF of $46 million.If the Government used proper accounting rules, the forecasted GRF surplus of $56.2 million in last week’s 2012-13 Mid-Year Report would have actually been a deficit of $528.3 million.

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Is the Provincial Budget Really Balanced?

Today we heard the "Provincial budget is balanced" but in reality The
Province of Saskatchewan Statement of Debt has increased by $1 Billion
in 6 months. What is going on here? Huh? What? I thought they said
"balanced budget?" Before we get to that,

In a news conference at the legislature on Tuesday, Finance Minister Ken Krawetz acknowledged the government has been saved from a deficit in part because of that one-time transfer from the feds.

"There would be other things that we would be looking at in terms of
expense management absolutely. I mean that's the benefit of a mid-year
projection. We're able to look at all of the sources that provide
additional dollars and we're able to look at where we're able to adjust
expenditures" he said.

He admitted the heavy reliance on resource revenues continue to make the province vulnerable.

"There will be challenges for the financial planning for 2013-2014 and beyond." Provincial debt is staying on track at just under $4 billion, yet Crown debt -- particularly at SaskPower --continues to rise.

So the province has a "balanced budget" because of a one time transfer
from the feds. Actually, $95 Million to be exact. Oh, and remember the
surplus is $12 Million.But the numbers also show that Crown debt has
increased from $4.4 Billion to $5.3 Billion since March. But according to the way accounting is done:

From the Government of Saskatchewan

* Some Crown corporations and other organizations have obligations to other

entities. The General Revenue Fund is not responsible for this other debt.

So the General Revenue Fund is not responsible for this other debt.
That is fine, but then do not count the use of Crown money on the
revenue side if you do not use Crown debt on the liability side. And we
should note that that there was a $47.7 Million increase from Crown
transfers to the General Revenue Fund. It seems like we are paying down
the mortgage, but increasing the line of credit to fund capital
expenditures. At the end of the day, taxpayers in Saskatchewan are
being saddled with more debt.

So we need $142 Million of extra cash to get to a surplus of $12 Million.

I like Brad Wall, I voted Sask Party last election. But I don't like
when the numbers are played around with. Tell us the truth. I guess it
does not matter what party is in, the little guys get screwed and lied
to.

Just for those who are wondering, we can see in the next few graphs total debt has shrunk from over $12 billion in
2004 to just over $8 billion in 2011.
From 2004 to 2007, the NDP paid down about $1 billion in debt, while the Sask Party has paid down about $3 billion since 2007.

Total debt has increased since 2009. Once 2012 is done, I will add the new numbers to the graph.

Here is how it looks
when we break down debt from Crown corporations and debt from the General
Revenue Fund.

The big reason provincial debt was paid down? Resource revenues. The
list below shows the year and resource revenues * 1000. ie 2008-2009 =
$4.6 Billion in resource revenues. That is why the government paid down
so much debt. But the good times don't always last and governments
need to learn how to spend wisely.

Why did resource revenues go through the roof in 2008? The commodity bubble of course!